Victoria’s crime numbers drop across the board in 2011

Crime in Victoria and Esquimalt was down overall in 2011 from the previous year, according to the Victoria Police Department’s 2011 annual report.

Highlights from the document, released last week, include an 11-per-cent reduction in total Criminal Code and traffic offences last year and a 16-per-cent decline in crimes against the person. Violent crimes were also down 16 per cent.

The reductions are a reflection, in part, of police efforts to crack down on crime in the downtown core, according to Victoria’s police chief.

“The Late Night, Great Night task force has reduced the number of disturbances from the weekend bar scene,” Chief Const. Jamie Graham said in the online report. “VicPD has also worked with a number of service providers to better address challenges faced by the drug addicted and mentally ill.

Property crimes were also down by 18 per cent, the number of residential break-ins dropped by 32 per cent and there was a 41-per-cent reduction in stolen vehicles.

“These statistics are indicative of the progress in making Victoria and Esquimalt Canada’s safest region,” Graham said.

In November 2011, the department unveiled its strategic plan to make Victoria and Esquimalt the safest region in Canada by 2020.

The department’s 2011 online annual report, which includes crime statistics by area, is available at www.vicpdcanada.com.